“I knew I didn’t feel quite right, but everyone I talked to said nothing’s wrong,” said Becca Johnson, as she reflected on the long and exhausting journey through chronic symptoms that followed her throughout college. After appointments with over 30 specialists and years of uncertainty, she finally received an autoimmune disease diagnosis from the Mayo Clinic. Through the process, Johnson not only learned how to advocate for herself within the medical system, but also experienced a deepening of her faith, discovering resilience, empathy for others in pain and a profound reliance on God that continues to shape her character today.
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00:21 Introductions
1:15 Becca’s Work Background
5:04 Ministerial Similarities Between Two Different Workplaces
8:44 Finding Out About Her Condition
13:05 Communication with Doctors
15:28 The Mayo Clinic
16:12 West Nile Virus
17:35 Private Practice vs Clinics
23:22 Support System of Family
25:36 Culture of Asking for Help
28:16 Being Tested at Mayo Clinic
36:48 Becca’s Attitude Towards Living With Her Autoimmune
41:15 Making Compromises and Learning How To Cope
49:24 What Becca Wished More People Knew About Autoimmune Conditions
53:23 Faith & Fate
60:00 God Will always rescue his people
60:02 Future 60:02
60:03:30 US health plan for autoimmune disease research
60:05:10 Closing
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This episode of “The Graph” is hosted and produced by Ellya Asatryan. “The Graph” is a Pepperdine Graphic Media production.